The Path Of God
by SomeDamn Author
Summary: What is the cost of immortality? Is it worth all the time Son Goku has spent...slowly going insane? Is it worth it when he sees the infant named 'Naruto' in the cradle, and decides to write his own tale?
1. Initiation

The Path Of God

Initiation :

 **I stand at the edge, looking down,**

 **Devoid of thoughts, the cliffs stand steep,**

 **Not knowing, what may lie beyond,**

 **I close my eyes,**

 **I leap.**

* * *

'… _Our house…it used to stand here….right here….'_

He didn't know how many days, how many years, how many decades…or maybe even centuries had passed, since then.

He couldn't explain it, really. It felt…it felt nauseating sometimes. The sheer weight with which the realization crashes down on you, with a force powerful enough to break you apart and tear you to shreds.

But then, to him, it never made a difference.

To him, one who had tread the very same soil for years on end, it was but a blunt knife lovingly caressing his skin.

Long ago, so many…so much..time had passed, and yet, it could've been yesterday, for all he knew.

Long ago, a certain man, his rival had chased this foolishness with an almost terrifying bloodlust.

"Immortality."

But then, he'd watched. He'd watched him labor over it, night and day, tearing out strands of his hair in order to achieve that ever so elusive dream of existing unto eternity.

And then, he'd watched him change, change slowly yet steadily from a monster to a man, from beast to human.

Immortality had eluded his rival, and yet, in what one could call a cruel twist of fate, it had found him, _him_ of all people.

To have become one, one with the Dragon, with…God….he'd felt it fill his heart in a most satisfying manner. He was elated, he was…

And then, bit by bit, it had broken, cracked, and the fragments had started to make themselves seen. The same thing that had filled him with elation was slowly eating away at his insides.

He kept walking forward, though. He never stopped. Never, in that entire time span had he stopped once to lament his misfortune, to pity over his pitiable state.

Looking down, he kicked aside a rock, and it hit the sides, breaking apart into a million tiny pieces.

His loose Gi seemed to flutter slightly, signaling the onset of dusk.

' _Look at him! The savior of the world! Look at him, walking with his head held high and that smile on his face!'_

For the first time in more than a century, he felt his face twist into a snarl.

' _Look at him, reduced to nothing.'_

In the end, it seemed bitterly ironic. He'd erred. He'd reveled in that sensation for just that fraction of a second, and in that second, he'd changed from the pristine warrior, the pure-hearted Saiyan into…

Oh, he'd ended up paying dearly for it. Strictly speaking, he was still doing so.

Shenron, it had seemed had put him through one final trial, the most important one. And he'd walked right into its gaping maw.

A leaf rested lightly on his spiky black hair, before continuing its wayward journey.

He turned, flexing his powerful arms.

The ground shook. The air seemed to get denser. The weather suddenly seemed to get uncharacteristically warmer.

He blinked once, and focused his eyes.

' _There….thirty miles north of east.'_

He shook his neck slightly, and a few muscles seemed to pop, as if excited by their master's call.

* * *

"You…You there….h-h-hellllll-uhhh"

He looked down at her, arms still folded. She was crawling, struggling even to do so, and yet she crawled. A huge gash adorned her right shoulder, and blood seemed to make it's way out of the wound in a sangfroid manner.

He stepped forward.

Cocking his head slightly, he analyzed her.

Yes, there was no doubting it. A few more minutes, and not one, but two lives would be lost to the world.

The woman was pregnant.

"You…..what's your..naammeee-"

She seemed to choke, and with an effort, spewed out a thick glob of blood.

"Hellllp me…."

Help her? Save her life, and the child's?

He stepped forward. He was now standing right above her. Her hands seemed to claw at air wildly. He produced a foot, and she hung on to it.

Crouching down with a grunt, he looked her straight in the eye.

For a second, two pairs of jet-black eyes seemed to meet, to embrace each other.

He looked up.

Obscurely he could make out the form of a…a behemoth, a great beast, off in the background, causing chaos and taking away lives, probably hundreds of lives.

Not even a sliver of surprise coursed through his mind. Not shock, not amazement, not fear.

He laughed, suddenly.

' _Fear?'_

He looked at the monster. It's massive tails, nine of them, thrashed about, wrecking the human settlement.

For a second, it seemed to turn towards him, and then it turned back.

And in that second, he studied its malicious red eyes and blood-soaked canines.

And somewhere within him, somewhere deep down, something seemed to stir. It seemed to open its eyes, and raise its hackles.

He closed his eyes, and pushed the sensation aside when he felt the woman below him rasp.

"Why…..why wooooon't you help me…"

He slowly brought his hand down, and placed it on the woman's waist. Drawing forward the other hand, he traced a line across her stomach. Stopping at mid-point, he extended his palm.

"Tell me now. Do you want to live?"

His voice was barren and raspy, vocal cords quite unused to speech.

The woman seemed to look up at him, bewilderment fogging her obsidian eyes. And then, it seemed to fade. She seemed to realize the implications.

To live would be to continue, to dodge death's impending blade, and to get back up again, and see the dawn of another day.

She nodded, not finding the strength to speak.

She felt a sharp spike of pain across her thorax. Invisible knives worked their way across her body, tearing apart her nerves.

She cried, both physically and verbally. And then, it seemed to stop. She opened her eyes.

Vision faded, and re-focused to reveal an awe-inspiring sight, one that would have forced her, had she been able, to drop down to her knees and gaze in admiration.

Gone were the black eyes, gone were the dark black wild hair, only to be replaced by a breathtaking shade of teal eyes, and brilliant gold hair, and she felt the surge.

The surge of energy, both externally and internally shook her body, as she felt new life breathed into her by this…this God.

And she felt her eyes close, finally.

And in the darkness, she heard her savior's voice, firm, steady, and to her, it sounded like the voice of a God, full of shining hope, full of promise, pure promise, joy, happiness, and energy.

"Some time back….you asked me my name."

"…."

"Name's Goku."

"…Wh-What a-a-are you?"

The man seemed to sigh.

"A long time ago, I was the hope of the Universe, I was the answer to all living things who cried out for peace, I was the protector of the innocent, I was the light in the darkness, I was truth, and I was ally to all that was good."

"And now…What am I now?"

The last thing that Uchiha Mikoto saw before passing out was the God walking away, toward the Nine Tailed fox, with a wide grin threatening to split his face in two.

* * *

 **End.**


	2. Mortality

**So you know one of those rare moments when you don't really know why you're doing something, but you just do it?**

 **Well, I've necro'd this story after more than a year. I don't know how, or why. It just happened.**

 **Quick Note : 'WhoIsThisDamnAuthor', one of my best friends, decided to adopt my story, and rebooted it, taking it in a very, very different direction. Please give the story named 'Dystopia Unleashed' a look if you're considering reading this, and didn't like my tone. I would be very happy if you did so.**

 **DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR DRAGON BALL. THEY ARE BOTH WONDERFUL MANGA CREATED BY WONDERFUL PEOPLE.**

* * *

 **Mortality**

 _Time erodes._

 _It doesn't kill straight away, it doesn't put you out of your misery just like that…Ah, but how blissful that would have been…to just close your eyes, and let it wash over you, the sensation of finality, the end, that there really is nothing left._

The beast thrashed around, an infestation of malevolence. Its scream was that of madness, like a collection of long, sharp fingernails scratching across rusted metal. Sheer terror pierced the soldiers' minds like a hot knife pressing onto skin.

 _Time decays._

 _It cuts at you, one malicious snipe after another. And yet, you don't feel it, really. Not a single sharp stab. But then…but then, you'll eventually see it…oh yes, you will, as one day, you chance to look at yourself, and it hits you with the force of a Kamehameha._

 _You stare at yourself, ashen faced, at what remains on the body that carries your already irreparable mind._

 _What…What have I become?_

He hovered, slowly at first, and then sudden shooting up. An unnatural grin seemed to paint his features…or was that a snarl? You couldn't have said, really, as the God rose.

The Beast turned. Even at that distance, the primal being could sense the presence.

The howl echoed. And suddenly, all was silence. Just the two of them, God and Beast. His tongue flicked out, making contact with his parched lips, whetting them just slightly. For a second, the liquid-aquamarine orb met the volatile red one.

And then, the moment vanished, crushed by the sheer weight of the implication that the two forces would collide.

And they did.

Terror ran rampant. They watched, the men, as the speck of Gold wove through the wall of red. The ground seemed to shake with the mere energy emanating from their duel.

The Fox refused to give up its base. It's tails thrashed, this way first, and then that, trying furiously in vain to swat the irksome fly. And then, he struck.

It's scream was horrifying, the very sound of it capable of driving a mere man to insanity. The _crack_ resounded, as one joint bent the wrong way, and then snapped, as if it were a twig.

"One."

The Beast's eyes were now completely blood red, and not for a second did it waver. With the speed and force of a tsunami, it crashed down, hopefully capturing the man between its teeth and crushing him like the scum he was.

"Two."

Another howl rent the air, this time it was one of utter fury. The second limb had fallen prey.

Down below, they watched…watched as the unknown savior fought with terror-inducing fury, one that seemed to outmatch the Beast's. He was but a speck, a spark, and yet an unending trail of Gold. Not a sound seemed to escape from the God's lips.

"Three. Rise, Beast. You will gain naught by staying."

The beast roared, a toxic concoction of pain and fury. First, one leg tensed, and then, it threw itself forward, gaping maw engulfing the moon, thrashing tails blocking out all hope that night.

The Golden Warrior's movements were far too quick to track for the men below, even as they watched on.

"Come… _come to me_ …"

The God's voice was low, barely a sound, and yet it seemed to resonate in the air as if it were a tree's whisper.

" _Four!_ "

It was sheer destruction. The beast's fourth joint snapped, even as unintelligible sounds emanated from the Beast's gaping maw. Red fumes seemed to issue from the joints which had snapped, even as it howled, roared and clawed around.

And then, it stopped. Everything stopped. Everything lay still, not a sign of movement. The silence crushed down on those below.

"Dragon…"

The air began to crackle, the ground shaking. Men and women, ninja and kunoichi alike scrambled back, victims to raw, uninhibited fear…just that primal instinct telling filling your veins with ice, telling you to get as far away from the area as possible.

"…Fist…"

And even as the Golden Warrior felt his muscles tense for the first time in what felt like, and probably was, forever, he couldn't help letting out the pleasured shiver. He brought his hands together, feeling the inexorable power build up in the space between his two palms.

And suddenly, it seemed to happen. He could sense the presence at his back, though his senses might have been a tad rusty. He easily dropped the pressure building up inside him. Floating slowly, he landed on the ground gently. In the back, the beast's screams seemed muffled.

He turned, considering the mortal who had effectively stopped the imminent slaying of the Beast.

"Who are you?"

It was the other man who spoke. The look in his bright blue eyes wasn't one of hostility, as his blonde hair shook lightly with the wind. Tall, dressed in the same outfit as his puny fellow soldiers, the only difference in the man's outfit was a white-and-red coat that seemed to read _'Shadow Of Fire'_.

"It is prudent to introduce yourself, I believe, before asking a question," Son Goku's voice was characterized by a startling lack of color.

"Namikaze Minato. Hokage of the Village Hidden In The Leaf."

He paused, looking into the eyes of this _Minato_. The reflected a rare purity, a clear thought process. His lips closed into a snarl. This man seemed to remind him of himself…a long, long time ago.

"Son Goku."

His name sounded acrid, even as he said it for the first time in over a thousand years.

They stared at each other, one blonde-haired man with soft bangs falling over his forehead, one blonde-haired man with an ethereal feel to his presence. Neither seemed fazed by the other's aura.

 _Revolting._

"Make no mistake, I shall protect my village at all costs."

Son Goku stared at the man's words, a mirthless laugh emanating from his larynx. "Fool, you would think I stepped in to save your home?"

The man named Minato seemed to pause for a second before breaking into a mystifying laugh. "You are an amazing man… _Son Goku_ , was it? You are not human, and yet, you make me feel you were close to human…once."

Son Goku stepped back, lips curling into a smile yet again. He had lived long…or maybe, he had ceased _living_ and had _existed_ long enough now. He felt not the need to utter a word to this man named Minato, with his heart-warming smile.

 _Revolting…It's so amusing I want to puke._

He turned, dropping his energy completely. The Gold disappeared, to be replaced by a shade of black that seemed to meld into the background on that night. His obsidian eyes looked at the _Hokage_ one last time.

" _Mi-..na-..to…_ was it…?

The God disappeared without a word.

* * *

That day would be remembered by many as a day of mourning. It was the day Namikaze Minato and his wife, Kushina had given up their very lives in the highest of acts; sacrifice. As the last remnants of the Beast of Nine Tails disappeared, a new dawn broke, one of hope, for the citizens of Konohagakure.

Many tears were shed. Many a brave ninja were mourned. Life began anew for many.

"He is so beautiful…such a beautiful, healthy boy…"

Uchiha Mikoto and her husband gazed at their newborn with adoration. Uchiha Mikoto bore none of the scars of that fateful night, nor would she forget the fleeting glimpse she had received of that man. She could close her eyes, and feel the hum that had run through every nerve of her body when the God had breathed new life into her.

She laid a kiss on her husband's cheek as he played with the little one's fingers.

His eyes were dark, a pure black.

The very same shade that painted Son Goku's lifeless eyes.

And even as Son Goku's dormant Saiyan blood flowed through the infant who would be named 'Sasuke', after his grandfather, both his parents were blissfully unaware, as they showered the baby with love.

* * *

 _He walked forward. It was an odd sight._

 _The man was on the ground, surely taking his final, gasping breaths._

" _So you did protect your home…Mi-na-to…"_

 _Beside him lay his wife, unmistakably dead. It was a sight that would have scarred any sane person, but Son Goku said naught as the blonde-haired man writhed. The Saiyan's mind experienced a spasm of an old rage when he realized that Minato, the brave leader_ _ **still**_ _had a smile on his face._

" _Protect…My…son…will protect…"_

 _Son Goku tilted his head, gazing at the cradle. As he moved closer, a strange sensation seemed to grip the Saiyan. His stomach tightened, his mind rushing with a heady sense of control._

" _Your…son?"_

" _His name…Naruto…Uzu-Uzumaki!"_

" _I see…Mi-na-to…your son…will protect your village…no…he will protect the world?"_

 _Son Goku felt the uncontrollable sensation build as he reached into the cradle. The infant lay still, sleeping quietly, swathed in a bundle of soft, warm cloth._

 _He ran a rough, calloused hand across the whisker-marks on the child. It seemed to nuzzle into his rather large palm, two tiny hands twitching slightly._

 _Son Goku felt the sensation explode, his mind shattering into a thousand pieces out of the pure ecstasy._

 _ **Control. I will write this story henceforth, human.**_

 _He stared at Minato Namikaze as he cradled the infant in his arms. Minato's smile never wavered…never wavered until he heard Son Goku speak._

" _Your son…Mi-na-to…your son will_ _ **destroy**_ _the world."_

 _It was a crude sense of satisfaction that filled Son Goku to the brim as he saw Minato Namikaze's smile slip, before the Hokage died._

Son Goku walked a few steps before covering the cloth more securely on the child, making sure it was safe. For the first time in a long, long time, a smile graced Son Goku's face as he rose into the air slowly.

" _Come…Naruto Uzumaki…we have quite a story to tell."_

* * *

 **End.**

 **I have quite a story to tell.**


	3. Machination

**DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR DRAGON BALL Z.**

 **Once again, please give the story named 'Dystopia Unleashed', by WhoIsThisDamnAuthor a look. I'd actually started writing 'The Path Of God' a long time back, and then decided to stop writing it. It was then adopted by my buddy, who decided to take it down a largely different path.**

 **Thank you for your time! On with it!**

* * *

 **Machination**

There was a light drizzle in the air. The whisper of the trees stood paramount over any other sound that sluiced its way through the forest. And amidst the symphony of rainfall, the odd animal's cry and the swaying of leaves, the young boy's calculated footsteps was nothing.

He wore a thick coat, woven from fur. His head was drawn back, and his blonde hair seemed to stand out in stark contrast in the forest that dawn.

He silently unhooked the crossbow. Selecting a narrow-headed, steel-tipped bolt from his quiver, he nocked it. He paused a second, eyes on the deer. He was broadside. His startlingly cerulean eyes roved over the 'zone' for a moment, before he bent his knee.

' _kchuck'_

It was a clean kill, one a good hunter might've been proud of, but Uzumaki Naruto said nothing. He drew his hood, not wanting to get his hair wet, and moved. Slowly, he removed the bolt, closed the deer's eyes and got on with his job.

* * *

"Good."

It was a rather toneless compliment, but the seven year old broke into a rare smile. They said nothing more, as Naruto drew back his sleeves and bit into the venison. A fire crackled away merrily in front of them, waging a lone battle against weather that suggested that the morn was fit for naught but sleeping.

"Goku?"

The man turned towards him.

"What if I wanted to kill a human with the crossbow?"

"You will need a broadhead. This type of bolt is fit for a quick, clean kill, where you can't afford a second strike. A broadhead will pack a greater punch, will dent more than bone."

"Oh."

"But why speak of killing on a morning such as this, child?"

"Gloomy weather…nice, but…well, I was just thinking as I killed the deer, what it would take to kill someone, ya' know, a human."

"You have your answer, then. Shall we leave?"

The blonde-haired boy didn't reply. He got up and drew a strange back around his back. As the man named Goku walked outside, Naruto took a second to look around their cave. He knew it was silly, but he'd grown to like the cozy little place in the three days they had camped out there.

" _Goodbye, little cave. We'll come back, one day!"_

The man named Goku smiled, unknown to the boy. For just a moment, Goku was convinced that the voice, and the words it had uttered reminded him of another boy named Gohan.

* * *

 _Son Goku sat alone on the throne made of roots._

 _One…Two…Three…time had passed…so slow…so agonizing…_

 _And then, finally, it happened. After such a long, long time, Son Goku felt his mind focus on the goal. It was far away, but not out of reach._

 _With a vigor driven by sheer curiosity to see what would happen next, Son Goku began scripting this tale._

" _You are…Uchiha Madara…are you not?"_

* * *

It seemed as if dusk seemed to have approached them a few hours earlier, for Uzumaki Naruto. The young boy was tired, traversal with the man being devoid of breaks. But the boy would not complain. Life with him, after all, had always been like this, what other company had he known?

 _Distance_ existed between the boy and the man. Son Goku had shown not an ounce of _fatherly_ affection to the boy. There was a sense of coldness…emptiness about him, but Uzumaki Naruto always seemed to know that it was merely exterior. On the other hand, the boy _loved_ him. As a son would. He had grown up mimicking the only person known to him. In speech, in manner…

And when the man started teaching him various things…survival, food, shelter, the boy absorbed it like a sponge. They had never talked much, never talked at length, yet the relationship they shared didn't necessitate it. A lot was said in the calm silence they had spent time in, all those nights just lying under the sky, skinning animals, eating.

And now, as he stood outside the rather foreign looking structure, a haphazard cross between a cave and a building, Uzumaki Naruto felt apprehension.

"This is where I leave you."

He turned up, looking into the man's depthless eyes.

"Seems like it."

"You know what to do…you know when we will meet next. Until then," they man knelt, his face close to the boy's. Uzumaki Naruto felt a strange heat at the back of his eyes.

"Take care, Naruto."

For the first time, Goku's hand swept across the boy's head, ruffling his hair for just a second. The boy bit his lower lip, trying to hold back the tear that threatened to betray him. His hands wanted to move, wanted to envelope the only man he'd ever known in a hug, but before they could, the man had gone.

* * *

The boy walked in. It was complete and utter darkness, yet the boy didn't seem to mind at all. He knew, for example, that he had to walk in the direction of the small breeze that seemed to make it's way into that part.

' _Curious,'_ he thought…breeze inside a cave. The darkness was not a deterrent for the boy, for he had been raised not to fear it.

He walked, and the darkness seemed to disperse slowly. He regained more and more visibility, his eyes taking in the details. Cracked walls, dilapidated floors, the odd root that almost managed to trip him up as he walked.

And soon, he was inside what seemed to be the main hall. It was a large, large room, empty but for a single person standing in the far end. Uzumaki Naruto saw the man's head turn towards him, and for a second was befuddled, before realizing that the orange face wasn't a face it all, it was a mask.

"Uchiha Obito."

The voice was firm, but it seemed to have a large amount of color to it. For Uzumaki Naruto, even the emotionless delivery of the man's introduction contained more color than all those conversations with Goku.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto."

There was a moment of silence, before the man reached forward and removed his mask.

Naruto stared curiously.

"Whoa…your face. Those roots trip you up too?"

The man's face seemed to break into an odd smile.

"You're as I expected, young man. Welcome, I suppose. I cannot assure you that your stay here will be pleasant, but you will learn many new things, that you can be sure of."

The boy didn't reply, taking time to bask in the emotion being thrown at him.

' _There is not a hint of falseness in the man's voice…Maybe this isn't going to be so bad after all.'_

"Nice cloak…"

Uchiha Obito laughed.

"You will wear one day, child. Until then…"

* * *

 _Two characters. One the destroyer, the other the savior. A classic story, painted in hues black and white, told time and again._

 _How drab…_

 _How fitting, for the world to encapsulate itself into something as simple as that…_

 _A tale must be grandiose, it must have the details, of how the savior came to be, of why the destroyer came to be._

 _And most important of all, a tale must reflect_ _ **life**_. _Life isn't black in white. The boy who is born into the clan who only know violence, instead of becoming the destroyer as expected, would become the savior this time._

 _And the boy fated to save the world would destroy it._

 _Son Goku smiled. He wasn't capable of manipulation, he would not script the events one by one. He would ink the beginning._

 _Uzumaki Naruto would, appropriately ink the end._

* * *

Claps filled the air. The teacher looked at the boy with a smile on his face. The boy seemed to smile back confidently.

Uchiha Sasuke sat down, amidst whispers of congratulations, having passed the practical exams with highest possible marks. Several girls seemed to have their eyes on him.

The air was taking on a chill that evening. Children dispersed, telling each other about their tests, about how they'd messed up here and got it right there, and so on. The streets were starting to look lively, with the lights coming on and the chatter of the peaceful village's citizens filling the air.

Uchiha Sasuke walked confidently. In a few days, he'd be a genin…he'd be _that_ much closer to Ita-nii. He knew for a fact that his brother had secured the highest possible marks back when he'd taken it too, but the raven haired boy doubted if he'd done it in _record_ time! Why, the teacher had exclaimed th-

The boy froze.

Something was wrong. Something was-

 _What makes a savior? What makes him the hero we want to get behind? Is he the underdog? Is he fighting against all odds to uphold his ideal?_

"O-Okaa-chan…?" The boy seemed to prod the body, yet the lifeless form of his mother lay still.

 _Or has he suffered a great loss, and he chooses to get past it…to stand once again…_

Son Goku smiled. He'd been in time to save Uchiha Mikoto once. The second time, Uchiha Itachi's kunai had struck true.

 _Son Goku dipped his quill, smiling. He was not the one who was pulling the strings. Uchiha Itachi was being ordered by someone else, who was being controlled by someone else, who was someone else's puppet, and so on, and so forth._

 _He was merely the spectator, that was all._

* * *

 **End.**

 **This update has come so late it cannot be called an update. Anyway, if you are still interested, here's what I have to say :**

 **The 'style' of this story, is...well, rather irritating to some, I think. Instead of writing a set of events in a detailed manner, I'm skipping through them rather fast, focusing more on the individual moments rather than the whole set piece.**

 **However, I hope there will be a change next chapter, so that this reads more like a normal story. I'll deal with both Naruto and Sasuke as protagonists, and tell both their lives as a more coherent story. This will mean longer chapters.**

 **The whole story, however, will be a total of eleven chapters, of that I'm certain. Tis will mean that there will be timeskips, of course. If you dislike this...way of telling a story, do not continue.**

 **Anyway, I have rambled on long enough.**

 **Next time! :)**


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